The process of brainstorming what our community needs to rebuild after the devastating flood is set to begin.

A town meeting will be held at 10am this Sunday, March 13, at the Lismore Quad and Regional Gallery. All members of the Lismore community are invited to attend and voice their ideas and concerns.

Creating a centralised meeting place for community, housing and more resources to rebuild are flagged for discussion.

The meeting organiser is Lismore resident and former business owner of the Pickled Herd, Cassie Richards.

With the support of Lismore MP Janelle Saffin, Cassie invites everyone to bring their ideas of what we can do immediately to address the priority needs of housing and reestablishing our livelihoods in this flood prone city.

“We want to have open discussions and put all our ideas on the table, not come to conclusions,” Cassie said.

Disaster response

Cassie said she was disappointed at the lack of response from government on all levels when it came to helping the people of Lismore through this disaster.

So, she contacted Lismore’s State MP Janelle Saffin to see how we could get the upper levels of government to listen to the ideas and needs from the grass roots of community.

“Janelle was on board – and is already championing the issue of immediate housing for displaced people,” Cassie said. Read more: Janelle Saffin asks for housing options both short and long-term

Today, Ms Saffin is with the NSW Premier in Murwillumbah (also devastated by floods) – while the Australian Prime Minister is in Lismore, surveying the damage here.

A way forward

“I was going into people’s houses helping clean up and I heard so many people say they can’t see a way forward and they were afraid things will happen without them getting a say,” Cassie said.

“We we need to get our voice across to the politicians.

“This meeting is not a trauma counselling meeting – we have other forums for that.

“It’s about getting our ideas and visions for the future of our town before others make decisions on our behalf.

“This is my community and town – and we are resilient, and have been through many foods, but this time we are really put to the test.

“This one is going to show the true leaders here.”

Self organising

Cassie is one of many who feel that one of the greatest strengths of the community is the ability to self-organise in local networks and harness people power - from the grass roots up.

The Nimbin community self organized and saved many lives and homes during the bushfires in late 2019 and early 2020.

Similarly, in our flood disaster of February 2022, it was the self organising capacity of the local community that saw local boaters and kayakers rescue hundreds of people from rooftops and attics.

When State resources were minimal and scarce, the community stepped up – and are still helping clean houses and move debris and wash mud from stinking, flooded homes.

Read more about it: Flood survivors say Lismore was 'like Dunkirk'

Centralised town meeting place

With no town resources and a dispersed community, Cassie envisions an immediate creation of a centralized meeting place for the community of Lismore.

She believes the Quad is an ideal location in the centre of town.

“Maybe we can project movies there, or get the arts involved and create an outdoor market with food. The community can gather there," she said.

(Read how Farmer Charlies, near the Quad, is planning to start an outdoor market: Farmer Charlies and more businesses determined to live again

“We need infrastructure for the longer term - and places like the Dirty Wilson want to get up and running, but need a venue.

"We need to put all political issues aside and work together."

Meeting outcome

“At the meeting on Sunday, the idea is to break it into small groups and brainstorm ideas and see how we collaborate.

“At the end of meeting, we want to have a constructive list of ideas and information to inform our planning of what to do.

“Then we can feed our community ideas and plans to all levels of government.

“Our community has heart and guts of but we need government support – and we all need to come back the heart.”

The future

Cassie said she intends to be stationed at The Quad all next week and invites people to come and talk and meet to discuss ideas in an informal setting from 10am.

Cassie has set up a Facebook group called Rebuild Lismore Community. She hopes it can be used as a centralized place where ideas and resources can be shared as this community rebuilds their shattered lives. To join the discussion, visit: https://www.facebook.com/Rebuild-Lismore-Community-100415622611537